


A Simple "Thank You"

by Kale-y (PechoraFlow)



Series: Promptober 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Eddie is a Good Bro, Gen, Iron Dad, POV Eddie Brock, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Eddie Brock, T for swearing, WHERE ARE MY TAGS, You GUYS come ON I need CONTENT, a tiny bit of - Freeform, because I couldn't stop myself, sry Nolf I tried my best but I don't know if it's what you were looking for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26816614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PechoraFlow/pseuds/Kale-y
Summary: Eddie and Peter escape from weeks of torture, only to find that something is wrong with Peter. It's up to Eddie to take care of the teenage superhero while they wait for Stark to show up.---Prompt: Cruelthis is way too fluffy for this prompt but I wrote it anyway <3
Relationships: Peter Parker & Eddie Brock, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Promptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947931
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	A Simple "Thank You"

Eddie practically kicked down the door to his apartment, his arms preoccupied with trying to keep the teenager in his arms upright.

“Home sweet home,” he grunted, kicking the door shut behind him.

Peter blinked blearily at the space. “Wow.”

Eddie snorted. “Don’t patronise me.” Together, they hobble towards the small excuse for a living room.

“No, I like it,” Peter said, his words slurring slightly. “It’s nice. Reminds me of home.”

“New York?” Eddie said, easing Peter down onto his couch.

Peter grunted an affirmative, but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he looked to the side and caught sight of the newspaper articles Eddie had framed on the wall. “Are you a journalist?”

 _I’m starving,_ Venom growled. _Get us something to eat._

“Alright, alright. And yep,” Eddie said, distracted. He went over into the kitchen and opened his fridge, trying to find food that hadn’t expired in the two months that he’d been gone (not that Venom really had a preference, but Eddie very much appreciated not having to throw up later - he’d been through enough trauma already).

“Y’know, I’m a photographer,” Peter said. “It’s...more of a hobby, but if you ever need pictures...you let me know. I owe you.”

_Aw, that’s nice. Baby Spider wants to help. Let’s keep him._

“No,” Eddie said simply, taking a bag of frozen chicken tenders out and dumping them into a dish. “You don’t owe me, Pete. Getting out was a team effort."

Peter said nothing to that. “I… Sorry, do you have a blanket or something...? My powers are still… I can’t regulate my body temperature very well.”

Eddie frowned. “Uh, yeah, hold on-” He slid the dish into the microwave, setting it for ten minutes.

_Do we have barbeque sauce._

“No.”

_We will eat the chicken tenders. Then you will die._

“Yeah, sure."

Eddie moved back over to Peter, grabbing one of the kid’s hands. “ _Damn,_ you weren’t kidding. How the hell are you so cold? In California?”

Peter shrugged, a bashful grin on his face. “I’m little."

“Alright, hold on a sec,” Eddie instructed, making his way back into his bedroom. It was a mess (as usual - good to know some things never changed). He pulled out a drawer and snatched a random sweatshirt, not bothering to close the dresser behind him.

He walked back into the living room and tossed the sweatshirt in Peter’s direction. He expected the teenager to catch it - use those spider senses that he had shown off in escaping from Oscorp’s research facility - but it hit the back of his head instead.

Eddie frowned. “Kid?”

Peter didn’t move.

 _Something’s wrong_.

“Yeah, I got that,” Eddie said, distracted. He rounded the side of the couch and knelt in front of the teenager. “Pete?"

Peter slowly stopped staring at the wall and looked down at Eddie instead. His face was almost unnaturally still, but his hands shook violently in his lap. “Eddie, something’s…something's wrong…”

Eddie took one of Peter’s hands in order to still the tremors, but he blinked in surprise. “Shit- Here, let’s get this on…” Eddie took the sweatshirt and forced it over Peter’s head. “Got it from here?”

Peter managed a nod, moving to put his arms in the sleeves. Eddie left him to it, running back into his room to snatch a blanket off of his unmade bed. He hurried back, then returned to Peter’s side.

“Here,” Eddie said, draping the thick blanket over Peter’s shoulders. “How’s that, better? No different?”

“I…don't know,” Peter whispered. “Mr. Stark would know. Mr. Stark has all of the tests… He’d know…”

“Okay, okay," Eddie breathed, standing up and looking around the apartment in search of his phone...only to remember that he’d had it on him when he was taken, ergo he did not have it. “ _Shit._ Uh...okay. Pete, I’ll be right back, okay? What’s Tony’s number?”

Peter rattled it off, his mind half on autopilot. Eddie scrawled it on the back of a Chinese takeout menu, then rushed out of the apartment, crossing to the neighbor’s door in seconds.

He banged a fist against the wooden door, rattling it in the frame.

There was a _click_ as it was unlocked, then the door opened. His neighbor must have cut his hair and redone his “look”, but he was still recognizable. In turn, his neighbor’s posture locked up when he saw Eddie. “H-hey, man, I...uh, I thought you moved or something…”

“No. I need your phone,” Eddie said, not caring how crazy he sounded. “Got mugged - replacement hasn’t come in yet.”

_Good thinking._

“Oh, sorry, man, that sucks,” the neighbor said, his posture easing _just barely. “_ Yeah, here. Let me just… There.” His neighbor passed his smartphone over, and Eddie wasted no time in dialing the number Peter gave him.

He put the phone to his face, pacing in the hallway to work out some of his normal energy.

The neighbor frowned at him. “Are you...ordering Chinese takeout?”

The line stopped ringing. " _Who is this, and how did you get my personal number?”_

“Tony Stark? Hi. Eddie Brock. I’ve got Peter. Uh...I don’t know his last name.”

There was a cold silence from the other side of the line. At first, Eddie thought Tony had hung up on him.

_Sounds like you kidnapped Baby Spider._

“Uh, we’re friends. Broke out together. Look, I know you’re probably tracking this call right now-”

 _“How do I know you’re not lying?”_ Tony interrupted. “ _Put Peter on.”_

“I can’t,” Eddie said, “and I know that makes this sound like a setup but I promise, it’s not. They did something to him, in the lab. He’s… I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he’s not very responsive. He’s sluggish. But he said you’d know how to help him-”

 _“Get him to the roof in ten minutes._ ”

Eddie stopped. “No disrespect, Stark, but you’re in New York, and I’m in California; I think it’s going to take awhile-”

_“Eddie, was it?”_

“…Yeah?"

_“Either get Peter to the roof in ten minutes, or I can make the next hour very painful for you.”_

Eddie felt his ribcage vibrate as Venom laughed. _I would like to see him try._

“I wouldn’t,” Eddie snapped.

_“Excuse me?”_

“Not talking to you.” Eddie rubbed his eyelids, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Ten minutes. Bring a fuck ton of blankets.”

_“What?”_

Eddie hung up the phone, fully aware of how petty he was being, but also not caring. If Stark was going to be such an ass, when he was _trying_ to help, then he wasn’t going to make the experience pleasant, that was for damn sure. In the back of his mind, Venom cackled.

He handed the phone back to his neighbor with a small “Thanks” and opened the door to his own apartment.

Just before he shut the door, he heard the man ask, “Wait, was that actually Tony Stark?”

_Do you think we can convince him to leak Stark’s number on the Internet?_

Eddie ignored Venom, instead going to the couch, where Peter was still sitting upright, staring at the wall. He put a hand on Peter’s shoulder to get his attention. “Pete? I called Stark. He’s on his way, alright? Can you stand up?"

Peter blinked at him. And blinked. Then shook his head.

“Okay,” Eddie said, thinking. “Okay. Here, let me just…” He took the blanket and wrapped it snuggly around Peter’s still frame. Then, he slid one arm around Peter’s shoulders, one under his knees, and lifted him up. “Comfortable?”

Peter didn’t respond, his eyes drooping slightly.

“Are you at least warming up a little?” Eddie asked, making his way out of his apartment.

For a few moments, Peter said nothing. He remained silent as Eddie made his way down the hall, into the stairwell, and up a few flights of stairs before he answered, “I don't know.”

Eddie grimaced. He couldn’t feel Peter’s skin through the bundles of clothing and blanket, so he had no idea whether he was actually still cold or not. At least the summer San Francisco weather was gentle at this time of night.

He opened the door to the roof, relieved to find the air calm and warm, just as he had hoped. Gently, he eased Peter down to the ground, leaning him against the door to the stairwell. He didn’t want anyone else coming up here while they were waiting for Stark to show up - that couldn’t be good for the whole “secret identity” schtick.

Eddie sat next to Peter, holding the rooftop door shut by leaning against it as well. “How you feeling?"

Peter said nothing, instead leaning over to rest his head against Eddie’s shoulder.

_Aw, Baby Spider likes us._

Eddie moved an arm over Peter’s shoulders, allowing the teenaged superhero to burrow into his side. “Are you warming up, at least?"

Peter hummed an affirmative.

“Good.” Eddie rubbed Peter’s arm, using friction to try and keep the kid from feeling cold.

The distant sounds of city life floated around them, a blanket of background noise as they waited for the minutes to pass. Beside him, Peter breathed even, somewhat shallow breaths. Somewhere in the span of the ten minutes, Venom had creeped out of Eddie’s arm and wrapped tendrils of black around Peter’s small frame.

_Can we keep him?_

"No, Venom.”

Finally, Peter’s head perked up. “Hear that?”

Eddie looked around. “What?”

When he turned back to see Peter, there was a broad grin on his face. “Rockets.”

A second later, Peter pointed up. Eddie followed his gaze, finding a barely visible aircraft hovering in the sky. A square of light opened up, and out of it dropped the metal man himself: Iron Man.

The billionaire landed on the rooftop with an aggressive display of force, but Peter didn’t seem put off.

The helmet flipped up, revealing Tony Stark’s face. Eddie recognized him from the news coverage and numerous magazine covers - though those pictures never showed him like this: eye bags around his eyes, his signature goatee neglected and scruffy.

Stark hit the reactor, opening up the suit and allowing him to stumble forward. “Friday, scan him.”

“Scanning," an Irish female voice reported from the now empty suit. “Scan complete. Alien parasite detected.” Tony froze, a new look of horror in his eyes.

_PARASITE?!_

“Not a parasite,” Peter said, slurring his words slightly. “And he’s with Eddie.”

“Eddie Brock,” Eddie introduced, letting go of Peter and standing up. He held out a hand to Stark. “We spoke over the phone.”

Stark shook his hand, eyeing him with suspicion. “Right.”

Peter struggled to stand upright, using the door and his “sticky powers” to push himself up. Stark hurried over to the kid’s side, gently taking the kid in his arms to help steady him. “Friday? Report.”

“Subject Peter Parker. Radioactivity minimal. His weight has dropped since the last scan, and his temperature is down. Diagnosis: anemia. Blood transfusion is recommended as soon as possible.”

“I’ve got Bruce up on the Quinjet and I brought some of your blood, just in case,” Tony told Peter, who nodded.

Instead of replying, Peter hugged Stark around the shoulders, and the billionaire fiercely returned the embrace. “I missed you,” Peter said softly, leaning heavily against Stark.

“Don’t be getting all mushy on me, Parker,” Stark teased, but it lacked any bite. He pressed a kiss to the side of Peter’s head, and Eddie suddenly found it very difficult to believe this was the same man he had seen on TV - the one with the immaculate suits, sunglasses, and “fuck it all” attitude. But this Stark - the one with eye bags and a Metallica t-shirt and held Peter like he was treasure - this is the Stark Peter knew best.

_I still don’t like him._

“You don’t like anyone,” Eddie said under his breath.

_Not true. I like the Baby Spider._

“But not me?”

 _Of course I like you - I_ am _you._

“So you like yourself.”

_If I don’t, who will?_

Eddie was about to reply to that when Stark’s voice interrupted his internal dialogue. “Alright, let’s get you home. How’s that sound?”

“Okay,” Peter agreed. He pulled away from Stark so that the man could get back into the suit of armor. He waved at Eddie. “Bye Eddie, bye Venom."

Eddie was barely able to return the gesture before Iron Man picked up Peter and launched off of the roof, heading back up towards the cloaked jet above.

“You’re welcome, Stark!" Eddie yelled.

_Somebody’s bitter._

Eddie scoffed. "I am not.”

_Whatever. I’m hungry. Chicken tenders or your liver, Eddie. You choose._

When Eddie unwrapped a package the next morning and held a new Starkphone in his hands, he supposed that was a good enough “thank you”, and then added Stark’s number into his contacts.

**Author's Note:**

> yes I know this is posted a day late shhhhh


End file.
